Benedetto United F.C

BENEDETTO UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB HISTORY

ben·e·de·tto Pronunciation Key (ben'i-dit'o)
adj.

1. To endow, as with talent.
2. Bringing happiness, pleasure, or contentment.
3. To honor and glorify.
4. To invoke divine favor upon.
5. To confer well-being and prosperity on.

Achievements
1. Fairfield Methodist Charity Tournament 2007 Champions
2. Espzen Division 8 Season 9 Champions
3. Espzen Division 5 Season 10 5th position
4. Espzen Division 5 Season 11 4th position
5. Espzen Division 4 Season 12 3rd position
6. Espzen Division 4 Season 13 7th position

Team name
The word Benedetto comes from the italian language. Translated to english, it means to be blessed. Thus our nickname 'The Blessed Ones'.

Where it all begun
Our roots go back to as far as 1990 at Fairfield Methodist Primary School, Dover road. Most of us still only 12,13 years old was already pretty sure 22 guys chasing a ball was a fun game to play. Arriving at the school's basketball court at 6am in the morning was a norm, for the kick-a-bout would have already been underway. A plastic ball, contributed by the richer boys' 10cents, and plenty of passion for football. It did not matter that most of the time the game looked like a stampede was going on, or that you could end up all sweaty in class, standing in the principal's office as punishment, only to realize you had only gotten two touches of the ball. Worth it all, for the love of the game. This bunch of boys are the core of today's Benedetto United.

Deprived of a school team and proper ball (rules and regulation prohibits leather balls) back then, these morning and after school kick-a-bouts continued throughout our primary school life. Jun Jie and Elvin caught the eye of the secondary school football coach's eye and had the privilege of training with them while they were still schooling in Fairfield primary. One fact that many of us are ashamed of, a handful of us were part of the Fairfield primary basketball team. Wei Jun, a sharp shooter even. Shoos, keep it low..

The club crest
The top is actually a Fleur-de-lis, a French symbol of an iris flower that symbolizes importance and status. Just to the left and right of the fleur-de-lis and extending around the top of the shield are the symbols of an angel's wings, symbolizing our team's close relations with Fairfield Methodist schools. We have moved on, but we shall not forget our roots. It was there that we were given the chance to play football together. Inside the shield is a sun. Its arms symbolizes friendship and teamwork, for without it, the sun will cease to exist. Inside the sun is a circle representing our favorite game, and fire, which represents our passion, determination and never-say-die attitude. The color navy blue has followed us throughout our two sets of jersey, the nike one and then the kappa set. Navy blue is symbolic of courage, bravery, heroism, and strength, purity and simply, hard work. No flamboyance, no showboating, just pure determination to win games as a team, to fulfill our fullest potential as individuals and as an unit. While the gold border reflects our prestige, richness, refinement, passion for football and love for the game that flows in all our blood. Emblazoned across the entire crest is the team's name, which shows that the team is bigger than any one of us alone.

"Pure and honest."

© Bryan's masterpiece, 2006.

"Coming together was the beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success."
__________Spotted any familiar faces yet?

Lee made the difference
There was going to be no stopping us now, so we thought. Joining the school football team full of enthusiasm, we were thrown back with setbacks after setbacks. The set up was poor, we had a 'coach' who was really nice and pleasant, but would only appear for 5minutes each session to go through his routine of handing the ball room keys to Bryan and say 'play game'. Being in the football team was basically having the license to use our school's pitch. Not that we do not enjoy 'play game' but we were sure we needed much more to help us grow to become better. This continued for a year, it was disheartening, training did not feel like a training session at all, we had only one game all year round. Against a certain Delta secondary i think, we were trashed 8-0. It was one of the lowest points of our past. First proper game, away from home, scolded and taunted by hooligans with drums and god knows what, it seemed like only Jun Jie was playing. Picking up balls from the back of the net and stuff.

Then came Mr. Lee, taking over the coaching position. "Great, a computer teacher?" Many of us thought. How wrong can we be. He was going to turn us into a team, bond us together like brothers and develop us not just as a footballer but also as a person. He had only 1-2months to prepare Fairfield for the zone tournaments, he chose to stick with experience, choosing mostly the older boys for the tournament. Only a few of us got into the final squad. The tournament was one to forget, no passion, no team spirit, nothing. To press home my point of how bad it was, Noel was playing keeper.

Like as if he had everything planned, the seniors were disposed after the tournament, Aaron was pulled into the squad to play goalie, so was our captain today, Josiah and his best buddy, Kah Yeu. Mind you, Jo might not have been as big as he is today, but he was still considered one of the big boys. Interesting fact, Mr. Lee chose Kelvin (our semi-retired ex-captain) as the team captain. He is from Henry park primary, going to lead a whole bunch of Fairsians. Training was tough, but fulfilling. I vividly remember Mr. Lee walking towards us, shouting, "Who told you guys to take out the balls? We aint going to use them today! Put on your track shoes and drink lots of water!"

What? Football training with no footballs? No kidding. Drink lots of water? That sounds like really bad news. Soon, those few words were to become one of the phrases we dread hearing the most. When Coach said it, it was a sign of things to come, seemingly never ending endurance runs. The myth is that Coach was a ex-naval diver and he was using every trick that he had been used on by his sadistic sergeants. The fact is that we were really tortured. 20 rounds around the pitch, 100m jogs and 100m sprints consecutively, push ups and push ups and push ups. After the first training session, several contemplated quitting, and if you had taken a picture of the drain by the side of the field after training, you will know why. Puked, most of us did.

Don't they look alike? Noel and the Coach who changed our lives.

Getting bored? Here's a description of one of the many cartoon moments during training..

Coach: "Push ups!"
Everyone scrambles to get into position.
Coach: "20, down!"
James, one of the last to do so, with a grumpy face: "For whattttttt..?"
Coach: "40.."
Not heeding the warning, James: "Wah laoooo, f**k leh.."
Coach: "60.."
Everyone's obviously pissed now, but keeps quiet.
Wei Jun, obviously in his garang mood: "Eh James shhhhhhhhh!"
Coach, really wonder if he's pissed or amused by now: "80.."
Kelvin, captain: "Shut up lets just do it together."

We did not use the balls that day. I need to remind you, it was soccer training. No, not your typical bmt scenario, it happened to us! In Fairfield! Such things, however silly it may seems, bonded us together. Espirit de corps.

”T.E.A.M = Together everyone achieves more. Teamwork: Simply stated, it is less me and more we.”

Striker, or goalkeeper?

The best days of our lives so far
Somehow, everything fell into place. Lee made it clear to us, we were not going to succeed playing fanciful Zidanes and Tottis football. To be totally honest, we do not have it. One attribute we had, that surpass most people and teams up till today, is passion. He saw it in us. He knew that the more he pushed us, the more we hated quitting. Some did, but their names, i cannot recall. How he know what position we were best suited for is still a mystery. Even though Josiah did offer us an explanation not so long ago, "He watches us from fourth level, outside his office, hiding behind that pillar." Believe it, or not.

We were really proud to be part of the team. People stroll past the pitch, staring at what we were doing, thinking, "How do these guys do it?" For once, people were paying attention to the football team of their school. There is hope. It was a norm for us to train till 7-8pm, until the sky is too dark for us to see the ball. Then came about a vicious cycle that happened a few times. Training till 8pm, we would surely go for a team dinner together, Chong Aik chicken rice and drinks on the coach (that was his way of making us happy). Next day, we would go to school tired and sleepy. History, literature, a maths and so on, many of us end up dozing off in class. The teacher would then complain to Lee, and Lee would be really pissed, training us even harder, and we would become more tired the next day. It went on and on..

Something that i remain proud of till today, at the annual cross country meet the soccer boys dominated the top 10 runners ranking. Track and field team, So? That is just one of the examples to illustrate how hard we were training. As the tournaments drew nearer, training became more intense, we became crazier too. Training days, we train. Non-training days we played court soccer in school. Weekends even, we played street soccer outside. On top of all this, many of us had our own secret regime back home. Noel admitted to running every night around his area. At some point, I did wonder if we were footballers, or students.

Training is one thing. Playing matches is another. We had friendly games arranged for us to prepare for the tournament. Memorably, we beat New Town secondary 4-0 at home. We had plenty of support that day, i remember friends and schoolmates filling up the sides of the pitch. The band members had their huge drums out, and everyone was cheering us on. Such memories are priceless.

Somewhat sensing that we were ready for big time, Lee arranged a friendly with the 'ex-greats' of Fairfield football. Supposedly, they are the best team to have played for Fairfield. As if we were lacking motivation, a lot of criticism about us went around in the school circle, such as, "These guys can't play football, they only know how to run." We were the clear underdogs. To make the task even more daunting, Lee gave us one of the worst training sessions we had with him. It puzzled us all. Till today, I do not understand why, but somehow it worked. Just before the game, supposedly to discuss tactics, we had another of our classic moments. Lee drew on the blackboard, a field, eleven players. We thought he was going to tell us some abstract tactic that he was going to unleash. "Di da, di da, di da, goal! Ole.. Ole.. Ole.." Everyone broke into laughter. There was no need for tactic too hard for our football brain to comprehend, we know what we were good at and we know what we need to do to win. We hassle, pressure, chase, frustrate and work extremely hard. Against us, no teams have time on the ball, no space to run or pass and we keep it extremely tight at the back. Royden scored, 1-0. Well deserved victory. Coach's comments to juniors, "You saw that? Those guys are bigger, stronger and more experienced, but they couldn't get past your seniors. Why? Because they played as a team, they fight for each other. They never give up." Kings of Fairfield? If that is true then the Princes have arrived. We could not have asked for a bigger morale booster.

As though everything was pointing towards us achieving great things, we were told that Fairfield was going to be the holding school of the zone's competition. It just keeps getting better. The day came, Fairfield vs Whitley, the holders of the national 'b' divisions, not like we gave a damn. Like a gentle reminder from above, it rained heavily that morning. Thankfully it stopped by late noon. The game was at 3pm, by 10am we were all released from class. For what, i really do not know. Told you we were Kings. The field was water logged and Aik came up with the brilliant idea of soaking up the rain water using newspaper. Do not laugh. We were desperate, we had waited so long for this day, don't spoil it now. Tighten the nets, the corner flags in place, the lines repainted and the newspaper-cum-sponges taken away. When the school bell rang, it had a carnival mood about it. Friends and classmates stayed back, girlfriends pulled along all their sisters and people we do not really know offered their best wishes.

Coach delivered his pre-match prep talk, "You don't need me to tell you how far you have come. You have worked really hard the past one year, you deserve today, go out there and play as team like you always do. Remember, give everything you have."

The match got underway. Plenty of supporters, making lots of noise. There was even a couple of scouts from professional clubs that had come down to watch us play. It was getting to us, the pressure of the high expectations upon us, we became a little edgy on the ball. Taking a while to settle down, Royden hit the post, not once but twice. Had those shots went in, God knows what we would have gone on to achieve. They scored, 1-0. We lost. For all the hype, we lost. For all the hard work, we lost. It is not that the loss meant we could not progress further, but it really did hit us hard. A few of us cried after the game. Soccer boys, egoistic proud boys (some people call us that), holding their head in their hands, jersey over the head, crying. It did comfort us a little that Whitley went on to become the champions. The rest, they say, is history.

"You men played like champions. You never gave up. And champions hold their heads high. What you achieved goes way beyond the win-loss column. you've achieved something that some people spend their whole lives trying to find. What you achieved is that ever-elusive victory within. You have all given me, the school, 101%, I'm very, very proud of you all."
_______________________________________________________________________________________Coach, Mr. Lee

I, We, cannot speak highly enough of the Coach, Mentor who changed boys into men, a bunch of wannabe into a team who knows where it's going. A team that was and still is, passion, determination, courage and guts added together and personified. There was to be no fairy tale ending to our young footballer dreams, but a chapter's closed, a new door opens. The brotherhood and almost a decade of friendship we share in this team kept us together, not just soccer, but everything else. Soon, the birth of Benedetto United Football Club.

When it is tough just to hold together
We moved on to our own tertiary schools, it proved easier to keep together as buddies more than a football team. Outings were planned often, boozing, movies, simple meals and talk cock sing song sessions together. However, football games were far and few between. The best we could come up with was street soccer on saturdays, hugely enjoyable but nothing compared to a good old hard game on the pitch. We had no idea how to book a proper field facility, and when we found out, we realized that the sports council's balloting system was all blocked up by the organizers and referees. Many a times we had to 'illegally' use any empty pitch we can find, with the possibility of the odd idling policemen coming down to scribble our names into their scrapbook. "Do not do this again.", that's what they all say. It was really a difficult period, in a way, the team could have easily dissolved in those days and we would not be where we are today.

Getting the squad back together
Fortunately, the two years passed us by fast enough. Still, the few of had not given up the idea of playing football together regularly. Most of us having completed our 'a' levels, though some were still in polytechnic, had little burden except the book in timings and serving extras. The feeling of missing playing football together as a team got stronger by the days. By chance, i got to know Yip. A referee-organiser who would get us proper games, opponents and facilities. This was to be the real beginning of a new phase of our footballing career. Till today, we still complain it is a little pricey. But for the love of the game, ten bucks per game is just incomparable to the satisfaction of a victory as a team. Nothing beats seeing a teammate week in week out and improving together. The best part of all, we are all best friends. I have seen great teams before, but Benedetto is unique. Some teams, they trash their opponents, they have star players etc., when the game is over they change and head home. In Benedetto, when we win, we celebrate together, when we lose, we feel the hurt together. Mind you, i know this team, we are as prideful as you can think of. As i am typing this, i must say, i am a proud Blessed One.

We started off feeling content just being able to play every week. The thought of going back to truly competitive football had not entered our minds yet. But as the games got on, with us sticking to our usual competitive style, started to hear trash talking from opponents like, "Hey friendly only you know, play so hard, got money to take?" Nope, no money, just lots of pride and honor at stake. At the beginning, I took control of organizing matches and the team due to my flexible and relaxed national service lifestyle. It was difficult at times just to find eleven players. Somehow everyone had their own things to do. There has been times i really considered giving it all up.

Then came the invitation to play in a sunday league. It was considerably costlier than friendlies, but the lure of competitive and regular sunday football was too strong to resist. We had to think of a team name to begin with. There was suggestions such as Fairfield old boys, Winning eleven. Fairfield old boys was struck off for we were sure we needed to move out from that comfort zone, we need to progress and be a team to be reckon with in the local amateur football scene. Winning eleven, was pure stupidity. On msn, Wei Liang and Zhi Yang, brainstorming. Here's the things we considered, firstly, we did not want to be linked directly with Fairfield anymore but we must remember our roots. So we considered some words like blessed, calvary. But such words would be too common, we wanted a name that sounded proper and would stand out. Zhi Yang was in love with spanish football, so we tried translating these words to espanol. It came up to some funny sounding word that none of us would be able to pronounce. I thought, the way we defended at times, with everyone behind the ball, really resembles italy. Why not try italia? Blessed one translated to be Benedetto. Bingo. Sounds nice, looks good, even though some pronounced it as cornetto at first. Shrugged off the direct link to Fairfield, we are now a team who would welcome anyone willing to fight the battle with us on the pitch. Everyone in this team, ex-fairsian, non fairsian, is one blessed in his very own unique way. Officially known as Benedetto United Football Club, established since 2005.

"A winning team has a dedication. It will have a core of players who set the standards, they will not accept defeat. Benedetto is blessed with a team full of such players."

Come and gone
With our involvement in the league, some have faded away. The commitment required to play sunday football regularly took its toll. Kelvin, our ex-captain, troubled by unfortunate injuries one after another, has chosen to concentrate his efforts in living a life for the Lord. Some might say, what a waste, such a talented player, only to be destroyed by career wrecking injuries. He will beg to differ. It has put him on a path that he is enjoying now, and we are more than happy for him. He will always be part of Benedetto, and when he can come down for games, everyone will be happy to see him. That is why i call him the semi-retired ex-captain. The last time he played, he scored twice, one of them a screaming long range shot. It made me wondered, "Are you sure Kelvin's injured?"

In this rather painful part of our story, names such as Royden and Eng Choon comes to mind. Taking football seriously and fighting for teammates on the pitch is no longer in Royden's blood but like Kelvin, he will remain as part of us and will always be among the invited list whenever we have team gatherings. Anyone that fights for the team on the pitch, will remain a friend always. Choon, known to us through Zhi Yang, though had not been with us as long but whenever around was always a committed part of the midfield engine room. His industrial runs, raking long balls and tackling abilities will always be remembered. He too, has chosen to take a back seat, with the commitment of undergraduate studies and army duties taking up majority of his time. Whenever he chooses to come back, he will definitely be welcomed.

John and Qiu Xian at our sunday 'picnic'. Are we expecting small kids soon?

The young ones.

New friends
At first, friends were only called down when the team had not enough players. But it was becoming increasingly frustrating for James as it was difficult to get a regular core of players week in week out. This prohibited the team from improving in the way we would like it to. Then came our first solution, young and daring soccer juniors from Fairfield. People that posses the sort of attitude we have. Wei Jie, Wei Liang's brother, an obvious addition to the squad. Big and tough, enthusiastic in games, always looking to exploit defender's mistakes, an unpolished gem with an eye for the goal. In came Jeremy, fast and able to beat defenders with ease, promising great things, scoring on his debut with a header. His flexibility allowing him to play in several positions is an added incentive. Wen Hao, younger brother of our good friend Wen Qian, possesses a great touch, the ball seems to stick to his boots whenever he has it, his pin point crosses has many goals and has impressed many. Laffyette, a worthy contender added to our defense, extremely fast like James, tackles like Wei Liang when he was younger and crazier, what else can we ask for? Cedric has come and gone, but when with us, has shown many glimpses of what a brilliant player he is. Whether he would return to put on his Benedetto no.18 is still a burning question.

With these five young ones, we have some raw talent on our hands that need to be nurtured. It is one of the greatest pleasures of being part of Benedetto, seeing Wen Hao from a timid and confused player to today, a feared winger, gives many of us immerse satisfaction. Wei Jie, learning his trade as a striker, from a player that seem to be always missing in action to now, a scoring and one that win headers against much more experienced defenders. Jeremy, needless to say, the fact that at times he puts Wei Liang's starting right back berth under danger speak volumes about his abilities. There is still a long way to go, but one that all of us are looking forward to.

I almost forgotten Ted, Josiah's younger brother. He is in no way a junior, plays as hard as any of us and has grown to be as reliable as Josiah if not more. The fact that i forgot that he is in a way 'a young one' is a testimony to just how much he has progressed since joining us.

Kah Yeu introduced Yash. David brought in John. John then recommended Daniel. Wei Jun pulled in Wang Di. Zhi Yang brought in Jaemes Wong too. We have a team now, with a whole new look. John, a pivotal factor in the team, one who made us realized we actually have not improved much since our secondary school days. That has to be another turning point of the team. Committed and blessed with ability to shoot with both foot, he is a permanent part of Benedetto's engine room. Wang, Yash and Daniel together have brought us much needed trickery, speed, and width. Yash, how he always manage to just drift past defenders never fail to trouble our opponents. Wang and his dazzling runs, well-timed burst troughs have resulted in so many goals scored. Still only nineteen years old, he is definitely hot property. Daniel is an out and out winger, someone who hugs the line, always looking to take on fullbacks to get the crosses in. Since joining Benedetto, he has assisted in many goals. Jaemes Wong, ex captain of sajc, coincidentally now a classmate of Wei Liang in university. A towering and commanding defender, his hairstyle never fail to remind us of John Terry and we nickname him the king of highballs. Outstanding footballers, but that is not the main thing. New friends of Benedetto, great buddies of ours, now we have one big family. If Benedetto wants to get anywhere, it is going to be with this new team. Leaving behind our past, it is this one big family that is going to aim for big things. This is our new look and the core of Benedetto United Football Club.

"Individual commitment to a team effort - that is what makes this team works."

The turning points
There has been two major turning point that has gotten us to where we are today. Firstly, John came in and together with Chong Aik pushed for our playing style to take on another dimension. Route one long balls was our only way of playing back then. It was tiring for all, often long balls went back into opposition's possession and we were always put under pressure. It took a long time to even initiate this change and make no mistake, we are still learning the art till today. Quick and short passes, relentless hassling of oppositions in possession has become our trademark. Without deserting our ability to find the forwards with long balls forward, we look to build on a team that has the ability to switch between different styles to exploit our opponent's weaknesses.

Secondly, the return of 'The Rock' Josiah. At the start, it looked like there was nothing to shout about, Josiah was still his usual laid back but bloody attitude problem style. It felt like he was still in his thailand holiday mood, he had just returned from spending two years in thailand with the saf. One of the most important words said in Benedetto history so far came from him, "Let's choose a new captain." He was right. Kelvin will always be held with utmost respect, but we all knew that he was never going to lead us the same way he did in the past. Someone has to plot a direction for this team, to make the calls when the going gets tough. The young ones need someone they can look at to and listen to too. He sow the seeds, so he harvest the fruit of it. Josiah's name now has a (Captain) besides it. Tough job, man management can prove to be a major headache at times. To a man who is doing a thankless job no one wants to do, i respect him. Wei Liang and James would be the first to admit that when the team was under their control it was going no where, whenever it was time to make a tough decision, they were often at loss. Jo would be the last to claim any sort of credit and here is something he has said before: "Whatever it is, the credit must go to team work. All i did was, simple, not to do stupid changes, play you all to your strengths, done. If the team has no passion to play together and win, nothing i do will help." With a regular core of players committed to the team's cause, a hardworking team manager, a firm captain, Benedetto is definitely on the right war path.

"We want to be remembered as the team who gave their all whenever they were on the pitch."

A little more about the individuals that i have left out
So much for the team, let me try and highlight a little bit about some of us. For those that i have not done so, please do not take it personally, there is simply so much about this team if i were to jot down everything i probably could come up with a story book. Bryan and Wei Jun, it never fails to hurt them when reminded that they were the two controversially left on the bench by our coach. That is history but it has a huge impact on things today. I remember how Wei Jun scored that volley against Gan Eng Seng secondary when he came on as a substitute. It was a show of how determined he is to prove his worth. As it is today, he no longer warm the benches, he is a benchmark for the young attackers of our team. Bryan had no such luck of scoring for Fairfield, he took on a different path. Really pissed that he was overlooked and determined to make himself a better player, he kept his flamboyant skills and built up on the physical side of his game. He went back to Fairfield to help out with the football training just so that he would get to play more often. He, alone on a pitch opposite his place, would practice freekicks and tune his accuracy to perfection. He has become a tough midfielder, no one dares call him a soft touch anymore, versatile enough to play in attack and defense and has a range of passing that most of us envy.

How could i leave out James? Without him, all that we are today would probably never be possible. He coordinates with the organizers, sends out 30 smses week in week out only to endure us spoilt brats who find it difficult to reply his sms. To the silent worker and best buddy, the one who is arguably most committed to the team's cause, cheers. "If i can send out 30 over smses each week, i do not see what is so difficult about replying me with a simple yes or no!", our team manager-cum-defender-cum-'no choice goalkeeper' warned.

Then there are the few who rarely get their due share of recognition, Kah Yeu, Zhong He, Jun Jie, Zhi Yang, David, Elvin. Kah Yeu has never complained when switched between positions even though we all know of his shooting abilities from far. David, small and was always going to be bullied by the defenders but never shy away from tussling with the bigger boys. Fast and gives defenders no time on the ball, has contributed to many goals. David's long time strike partner, Elvin, stocky and has a powerful shot, holds up the ball for the team up front. Even though his semi-pro rugby commitments has robbed him of more playing time with us, whenever present he contributes to the team effort. Jun Jie, the one who has gone through a roller coaster sort of life, from milo team to a reliable centreback to a period in the wilderness. Thank goodness he is past his darkest period and is a important part of the team, a stronghold custodian whenever called upon to replace Chong Aik, he is also calm and steady as a defensive player. Zhi Yang, the amiable left back, a trustworthy treasurer. To say that he is a nice guy is a understatement. He was once more concerned for a injured opponent then our goal that was under siege. Peace loving and acts as a calming factor for the back line when under pressure. Simple player who always enjoy the overlapping runs when the opportunity arises. Personally promised to show me how to celebrate a goal when he does scores one someday. Zhong He, another versatile member of the squad, has the ability to swing in crosses from various angles.

The old war horses, Noel and Wei Liang. Noel, always one to improvise and reinvent himself, used to be a hard tackling midfielder and we all called him Keano. With Roy Keane moving on from manchester united, Noel also seems to have taken on another path. Learning the trickery and art of playmaking by watching Zizou, we all watch Noel go through his personal learning curve and look on, waiting to see the end product. If cards were goals, Wei Liang would definitely be a top scorer by now. Hot headed in the past, maturity has come with his age. Playing with the same old motto of "i may bleed but i will not lose", intimidating our opponents is his forte. Never one to shy away from tackles, he puts his body on the line for the team.

What i call as the stubborn old men, this trio consist of captain Jo, Chong Aik and John. Never afraid to voice their views, they are the old heads who are going to plot the team's path. Conflicts are unavoidable when together, but utmost mutual respect maintains order at the end of the day.

We love our drinks. Toast to our brotherhood!

"Every match you play, you make sure your opponents remember, forever, the day they played this team."
___________________________________________________________________________CCoach, Mr. Lee

Major milestone
November 2006, Benedetto secured its very first sponsorship deal. With the generous support of Fuji Trading Singapore and its subsidiary Wine Collection, Benedetto took a baby step towards reaching the heights all of us wants to achieve. It is really a shot in the arm for the team, a very concrete proof of recognition for the team's effort and commitment. From here, we hope to give our sponsors the best value possible, carrying the team and it's sponsors with pride and stature. Sunday amateur football may be primarily about enjoying football but the competitive sportsman spirit in us will never fade away. So i say, the best way to enjoy football is victories. Onwards Benedetto!

Thanks to our sponsor's help and our sincerity and willingness in going all out to make Benedetto United an unique social team, we had a pitch we called our own, The Blessed Arena. One must mention that it was a close fight down to the wire between naming it The Blessed Arena and Stadio Fratellanza (Stadium of Brotherhood in italian) during voting. We thank Commonwealth Secondary for trusting us with the field. The Team played our first match there on 27 January 2008 and made it a fine day to remember with a resounding 8-0 win. Preparations to get the field into playable condition started several weeks back and Sunday mornings were spent sweating it out at our cherished home ground, it was like a boy with a new toy. We repair the ground, fertilize the barren areas and paint our own lines. We even acquired our own goal posts and corner flags. As you can see on the right, the corner flags even has the team name painted on it. How many amateur teams in Singapore, if any, can boast of having their own home ground?

Our reign ended there on 2nd November as our kind sports council saw what was being done to keep the field in good conditions and probably thought to themselves, why not? So it was, they reclaimed the place, made it their own and now charge $50 for every 2 hours slot the public chooses to book. Anywhat, it was fine while it lasted, it was a real fortress, cheers Team!

Once again, Benedetto United has proven itself to be not just another social football team. There is a family here, there are people who are willing to make sacrifices to make things work, make things better. Benedetto United Football Club aims to be an unique place to be for all to not just enjoy the competitiveness of amateur football, but the brotherhood and Team spirit that comes out of it. It is a never ending quest and we are nowhere near where we want to be; to the many more major milestones coming our way.. Onwards Benedetto~!

"This is how it works in Benedetto. If an opponent tries to put his foot on the ball, show a bit of skill, he gets hit by a bus. And if he misses the first bus, there’s a second bus coming along and that will kill him."
	Updates (16 June 2008) So an eventful season in the Amateur Football League draws to an end, Benedetto United Football Club improved on last season's 5th place finish to finish 4th this year. In a league match, things so heated up the opponents decided to take the rules of the game into their own hands. Such is the ferocity and competitiveness of Benedetto. Never shirk a tackle on the pitch. 50-50 challenge? Go in with all your might. 40-60? Go in even harder, Team. More often than not, the player that has the slightest of doubt whether to get into a challenge will end up the one rolling about in pain. We will not hesitate to shed blood for the Team in a football match, but never in a scuffle. That said, we let our football do the talking. Never should it be allowed or excusable to raise a fist, this is not the way Benedettoasts were taught to play football or want it to be. For opponents who think otherwise, we stand firm our ground. You may raise your fist at us, fear not, we would not retaliate - but watch the next legitimate football tackle, the ambulance's already on its way.


After two years finding our way in different amateur leagues, enduring somewhat mediocre organizers, we are finally ready for the big stage of local amateur football. 20 July 2008, Benedetto announces its arrival into espzen. We might have come a long way, but we are never content with the standard of our play, the desire to overcome, improve and win is unquenchable. When it comes to playing football together with a Team that you cherish, too much is never enough. Much appreciation goes towards our sponsors, who continually pledge their support for Benedetto United Football Club despite little or no contribution on our side. It might a long bumpy ride ahead for us, nobody knows what holds for us in espzen; but there's one thing I am sure of - where we play, who we play against never matters, as long as we are still enjoying football together as a Team. Even when the day comes where our beer bellies allows us to only play on a street soccer court, I know I have a football family that I spent a major part of my lifetime with. Even when the day comes where our wrinkled skins can no longer stand the heat of the sunday afternoon sun, I know we will have a bunch of kids (probably our sons) who carry the Benedetto crest with pride and carry on the legacy of Benedetto United Football Club, The Blessed Ones.
"Football is a simple game. 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, Benedetto wins."
	Champions! With three games still left to play, Benedetto United secured top spot in their division on 16 November 2008, at their first attempt. Fending off a strong display from Primero on a stormy Sunday afternoon at Orchid Park secondary school, the rain stopped, sky cleared, the emotions and champagnes flowed. Tempers flared whenever we didn't play up to our own standards, no one has the mood for wine, dine and pretend nothing is wrong after a bad loss. Regardless of the end result, we don't deserve to sleep well on a Sunday night, unless we have given our all on the pitch, we insist. God helps those who help themselves, and on days we weren't at our best, we simply grinded out our results. Disgusting or undeserving some disgruntled ones might say. Some even say its the pitch size, some say the organizers are siding the rich and so-called influential teams. And you hear people saying all the time, let your football do the talking - the ironies of football. So we battled on, armored with our true Benedettoast spirit - we give everything we can conjure up with, on the field, off the field, administration, planning, self dedication to fitness and then we let the results take care of itself. Benedetto is blessed, with people who refuse to be content, committed players who simply refuse to get beat; and this simple, down to earth formula has gotten us to where we are today and will get us to where we want to go as a Team. Onwards Benedetto! Read the full article>>

A man's playground and battlefield combined together.

Where Benedetto wants to go
We hope to grow together as a Team, to improve each other's weakness and strength. We want to be great buddies for each other on and off the pitch. Not forgetting also, to see the younger ones outdo us in every way possible. It would be of huge satisfaction to see that happen. If and when it happens, we would not mind making more new friends too, anyone who is game for a battle on the pitch. Yash and Wang have definitely proved to be worthy buddies. We may not be a gathering of brilliant players, but the least we aim for is to be a brilliant gathering of players. And when the time comes for all of us to be called uncles and grandfathers, we hope to be known as the Benedetto Family. Benedetto till i die.